Number 59 (Story #3), December 18, 1991 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein A DISTANT CLOUD OF CARBON MONOXIDE gas, estimated to be 12 billion years old, was discovered by astronomers at Kitt Peak. Since cosmologists believe that only hydrogen and helium were produced during the Big Bang, this finding indicates that stars---manufacturers of the heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen---formed, exploded, and then spewed out their elements as early as 3 billion years after the creation of the universe. Since the gas cloud was detected in an amorphous lump interpreted as an undeveloped galaxy, it also presents the possibility that the birth of stars predates galaxies. (Science News, 7 Dec. 1991.)